al-Haqqah 36–37

4 min read

This axis brings together 3 instances of the use of this verse in Muhammad Shahrur’s books, linking it to the concepts and arguments that appear around it.

The Verse as Cited

And no food except from ghislin, * which none eat except the sinners

Reader’s Answer

The Question

How does Shahrur read God’s statement, “which none eat except the sinners,” in al-Haqqah 36–37?

Shahrur employs these two verses to distinguish the “sinner” from someone who commits an unintentional sin or misdeed: in his view, sinners are those who do wrong knowingly and persistently, and who neither repent nor rectify what they have done; he therefore makes the food of ghislin their requital. The evidence does not establish that the punishment is connected to the “accumulation” of sins in terms of their number, but rather to persistence in sin and the abandonment of repentance and reform.

Shahrur links the description of “the sinners” in al-Haqqah 36–37 to those who did wrong with prior intent and awareness, and who neither repented nor attempted to rectify their conduct. He employs the two verses as a statement of the requital of this category, citing “And no food except from ghislin * which none eat except the sinners” after defining sinners.

Evidence and Location

Islam and Faith — p. 107.

Limits of the Reading

  • The evidence is from the book “Islam and Faith,” p. 107, not from “Islam and the Human Being,” which is mentioned in the usage field; this page therefore attributes the reading to Shahrur on the basis of the attached evidence, without establishing its location in the other book.
  • The attached text does not support the claim that the criterion is the “accumulation” or abundance of sins; the criterion explicitly stated is persistence, awareness, and the absence of repentance and reform.
  • This is a reading particular to Shahrur as presented by the evidence, and this passage alone is insufficient to establish that it is the exclusive meaning of the term “sinners” in the verse.

Continue from Here

Brief Reading

The verse is cited to affirm that requital concerns sin compounded through persistence in wrongdoing, rather than a mere passing mistake.

Axes

  • Faith-related
  • Human and ethical
  • Sin: 2
  • Requital of sinners: 2
  • Consequence of sin: 2

Its Place in the Network of Concepts

It supports the ethical idea that links one’s fate to continuing in sin.

The Verse’s Role in the Argument

  • Support: 3

Contexts of Use

  • Islam and the Human Being: He makes it evidence that the requital of sinners is specific to one who persists in sin without repentance.
    • Concept: Sin
    • Function of the verse here: Support
    • Textual evidence: “{ And no food except from ghislin * which none eat except the sinners } (al-Haqqah 36–37)”
  • Islam and the Human Being: He presents it as a punishment for the sinner who persists in his sin—that is, one whose misdeed has become a sin.
    • Concept: Requital of sinners
    • Function of the verse here: Support
    • Textual evidence: “Thus, whoever commits a sin or a misdeed persistently, without repenting or rectifying his conduct, has his requital, as in His statement, Exalted is He: { And no food except from ghislin … } (al-Haqqah 36–37)”
  • Islam and Faith, p. 107: He employs it to show the eschatological requital of sinners who continue in sin.
    • Concept: Consequence of sin
    • Function of the verse here: Support
    • Textual evidence: “{ And no food except from ghislin * which none eat except the sinners } (al-Haqqah 36–37),”

This page is presented within the general methodology for constructing the atlas.

Graph View

Muhammad Shahrur Atlas